Before giving the background of the embodiments of the present invention it is first important to understand the background of the electric hair clipper and its attachment guide combs which are as follows.
The hair clipper kit found in most homes today includes an electric hair clipper and a set of four to ten attachment guide combs of different lengths, all stored loose in a box. A typical example of the hair clipper kit is shown in the 2004 Langley U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,736. FIG. 4 shows a typical hair clipper with attachment guide comb attached and FIGS. 10-17 show an attachment guide comb from all angles.
The hair clipper has changed little since the 1925 WAHL U.S. Pat. No. 1,558,729. It has a moving blade that reciprocates against a stationary blade. The stationary blade is rectangular with protruding edges. The accessory attachment guide combs snap onto the stationary blade, secured at its edges, and allow the operator to cut hair to a chosen length.
The stationary blade has a design ideally suited to its function. The attachment guide combs have been subsequently designed to be compatible with these dimensions. The present design beginning with the 1934 Adelmo U.S. Pat. No. 1,957,430 and was more recently taught in the 1999 Wahl U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,526.
An essential grooming tool, there are a wide variety of hair clipper kits and attachment guide combs available today. Across most makes and models the stationary blade of the hair clipper maintains the same dimensions, allowing the attachment guide combs to be interchangeable.
The attachment guide comb has five principal advantages over the standard flat comb: selectable length, easy attachment, stable support, lifting teeth and an unobstructed path for hair.
Selection of the length of hair cut by attaching the appropriate attachment guide comb has made it possible for unskilled operators to use an electric hair clipper to achieve a hair cut of uniform length. Once in place the attachment guide comb makes it impossible for the blade to get closer to the scalp than the length of the attachment guide comb teeth will allow. Easy attachment to the head of the hair clipper allows an unskilled operator to quickly attach attachment guide combs. Only one hand is required once the attachment guide comb is attached.
The stable support provided by the attached guide comb means that the clipper will not rock or wobble in any direction when resting on the scalp. The attachment guide comb is designed with teeth that form a rectangular base of support as wide as the hair clipper and with a length typically between ½ inch up to a few inches depending on the size of the attachment guide comb.
The teeth of the attachment guide comb lift the hair to the blade. The teeth of the attachment guide comb are very different from the teeth of a standard flat comb. The teeth of the standard flat comb are rods while the attachment guide comb's teeth are flat walls which rise from the scalp all the way up to the cutting blade. The attachment guide comb is pushed through the hair which is gathered into the comb. The strands of hair are then supported by these vertical teeth as the hair is cut.
Finally, with an attachment guide comb the path for the uncut hair beneath the clipper blade is unobstructed. This means that hair can be gathered into the comb and pass through it without encountering obstructions. This allows the attachment guide comb to be pulled smoothly through the hair. This unobstructed path is made possible by the position of the back of the attachment guide comb, to which all the teeth are attached. The back of the comb is positioned above and behind the blade of the clipper and does not come into contact with the hair.
There is one problem with the means by which the attachment guide combs attach to the stationary blade of the hair clipper. It is that the leading edge of the clipper, which consists of a series of small teeth, must support the larger teeth of the attachment guide comb. This requires the attachment guide comb teeth to be positioned so as to line up with the ends of the stationary blades teeth. Unfortunately the attachment guide comb's teeth, being flexible, can slip off the supporting small metal teeth of the guide comb, losing its support and bending to one side.
The embodiments described in the present invention include five tools which employ a comb: the scissor comb, the razor comb, the vacuum comb, the dryer comb, and the liquid dispensing comb. The background of each of these tools is as follows.
The attachment of a comb to a pair of scissors has been developed for two reasons: to prevent the scissors from cutting skin and to regulate the length of hair cut.
The 1993 Malone U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,245 teaches safety scissors with a comb adjacent to the blade edge. This scissor comb effectively prevents anything that cannot fit between the comb teeth from reaching the blade. This design was not intended to regulate the length of hair cut and lacks this advantage.
Designed to regulate the length of hair cut, the 1868 Craig U.S. Pat. No. 84,860 taught a comb which attached to a pair of scissors, the distance between the two being adjustable by a sliding support. The 1911 Fordyce U.S. Pat. No. 1,004,404 taught a clip on comb attachment that could be quickly detached by a spring clip. The 2000 Horvath U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,107 teaches a pair of scissors with a comb contemplated for use in trimming facial hair. All three designs have comb backs at surface level obstructing the path for the uncut hair and would therefore not pull smoothly through the hair.
The attachment of a comb to a razor blade for the purpose of cutting hair has the advantages of being economical, simple to use, and silent (an advantage in pet grooming). Examples include the 1908 Owens U.S. Pat. No. 892,679, which taught a comb designed to be clipped on to a straight razor, and the 1909 Becker U.S. Pat. No. 919,307, which taught a holder that held a common safety razor against a common comb. The 1987 Custer U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,841 taught an economical safety razor holder with a sliding comb member which permitted limited adjustment of the comb length. The Custer design has both a narrow support base and a comb back at surface level and would therefore not work well being pulled through the hair.
The attachment of a comb to a vacuum source to clean the hair has the advantage of dislodging more material by agitating the hair. It is important that the length of the comb's teeth correspond to the thickness of the hair. If the teeth are too short they will only partially penetrate the hair. If the teeth are too long the vacuum will lose suction through the gap between the surface of the hair and the vacuum inlet.
Many vacuum combs have addressed cleaning a single length of hair. The 1932 Suter U.S. Pat. No. 1,878,345 and the 1957 Cohen U.S. Pat. No. 2,780,829 both teach short toothed vacuum attachments intended for use on the short haired coats of horses. The 1992 Kruger U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,853 and the 1998 Silvera U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,748 both teach vacuum attachments with long toothed combs suitable for use on the coat length of some dogs and cats.
Several devices have addressed the need for combing through hair of different thickness. The 1967 Woodruff U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,500 taught an attachment with a fixed short comb in combination with a long comb which could be rotated into place. The 1971 Dove U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,546 taught a comb with adjustable length, a lever moving the teeth in and out of the housing. The 1972 Loscalzo U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,736 taught a vacuum comb with a plurality of different comb lengths, which could be snapped into position, while also addressing the narrow support base that the comb provides by adding a depth stop to the rear of the attachment, which could be changed with the comb. Though limited and complex, these designs would be effective on different hair thickness.
The attachment of a comb to a hair dryer has the advantage of improving the circulation of air through the hair. For example the 1972 Weber U.S. Pat. No. 3,696,818 teaches a hollow comb attached to a hair dryer by a flexible tube. The 1976 Tucker U.S. Pat. No. 3,937,231 teaches a comb attached directly to the mouth of a hair dryer. Still other examples are the 1985 Andis U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,362, and the 2004 Langley U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,922 which teach a plurality of attachments, some of which include a comb. Though complex and lacking comb length adjustment, all these devices have in common the advantage of having hot air blowing between the comb's teeth.
The attachment of a comb to a fluid dispenser has the advantage of increasing the fluid's circulation. The two types are those which use a container and those that use a faucet, such as a garden hose.
Devices drawing fluid from a container, typically a deformable container or squeeze bottle, are intended for use with shampoo and other hair treatments. The 1938 Wallenius U.S. Pat. No. 2,108,184, 1970 Tesersek U.S. Pat. No. 3,520,311, 1989 Morgan U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,813,439 and 2001 Burrowes U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,607 are all examples of this type.
Devices drawing fluid from a faucet such as a garden hose are typically contemplated for use in applying large quantities of water to the hair. The 1977 Houston U.S. Design patent 244,712 is an example of a simple device of this kind, intended for use in washing a dog. The 1997 Frank U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,502 teaches a combed device intended for use in washing pets.
Though all the above liquid dispensing combs are effective, each features a comb of a specific length and lacks length adjustment.
All the tools in the above background are useful and have enjoyed some degree of commercial success though only the hair clipper kit is universally recognized by and available to consumers.
It would be advantageous for the other five tools in the background above to employ hair clipper attachment guide combs for the five advantages of the guide comb described, as well as for their consumer familiarity, lack of complexity, and the economy of scale which makes them extremely economical.